Private Sector Beefs Up Security to Fend Off NSA

By Daniel Starkey
published

The revelation that the NSA has kept millions of records on just about everything from just about everyone may be one of the single biggest news stories this year. And now, private companies have started getting serious about locking out big brother.

The revelation that the NSA has kept millions of records on just about everything from just about everyone may be one of the single biggest news stories this year. And now, private companies have started getting serious about locking out big brother.

The big tech companies including Microsoft, Google and Apple are all looking to step up their encryption to 2048-bit. Facebook too, long considered one of the most flagrant abusers of user privacy, will be stepping up not only their encryption keys, but the way information is stored and managed such that their systems can "fail well."

While this is certainly a step in the right direction, and it's unlikely that any organization could breech 2048-bit encryption en masse, the NSA has plenty of other tools -- notably, keeping zero-day exploits secret to use them in their search for data.

Bloomberg has the full report.

Daniel Starkey
13 Comments Comment from the forums
  • smeezekitty
    Good for them. Anything to keep big brother at bay
    Reply
  • itsnotmeitsyou
    "... may be one of the biggest stories of the year"

    that may be the understatement of the year.
    Reply
  • rad666
    It's a sad day when you have to beef up your security to protect yourself from your own government spying on you in a first world country.
    Reply
  • wopr11
    "It's a sad day when you have to beef up your security to protect yourself from your own government spying on you in a first world country. "

    The KGB of the 21st Century - the terrorists won.
    Reply
  • LORD_ORION
    Damage is done, nobody in their right mind wants to do business with them anymore.
    Reply
  • f-14
    doesn't matter the american government has laws inplace that force back doors into everything no matter what protections are made.

    it's like raising an american flag over the mcdonalds in beijing china instead of the communist flag.
    Reply
  • rad666
    12010869 said:
    The KGB of the 21st Century - the terrorists won.

    Sadly, I have to agree.
    Reply
  • ddpruitt
    just about everything from just about everyone

    Proof? Before making a sensationalist claim back it up. Everyone has acknowledged they obtain metadata, that's far from everything. And while it covers a large number of people that doesn't include everyone.
    Reply
  • epaciga
    All those clowns are working hand in hand with NSA... "stepping up their encryption" Yeah, I'm sure they are: so they won't get caught again.
    Reply
  • eodeo
    It's a sad day when you have to beef up your security to protect yourself from your own government spying on you in a first world country.

    It is sad....
    Reply